Oscar Nominees: Best Director

My predictions: 4/5
My ballot: Coming soon!
The nominees: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

It’s hard to even process the omission of Denis Villeneuve for “Dune.” Someone was going to get left out to make room for Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), who had a great day with his film also nominated for Best Picture. Villeneuve’s film was still the second-most nominated, and this stings even more considering the lead actress of one of his previous films, Amy Adams, was snubbed for “Arrival” when Villeneuve did manage to get nominated. It’s hard to argue with the rest of the list, and I’m glad that Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza) didn’t miss out, though the latter may have come close given how little love his film got overall. And then there are the two filmmakers who were nominated against each other way back in 1993: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) and Steven Spielberg (West Side Story). The former definitely has the edge, especially considering her film’s haul today, and it’s also worth noting that Campion is now the first female director nominated more than once for an Oscar.

My current bet to win: This is going to Campion.